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Tiramisu Cake

One of my all-time favorite desserts is Tiramisu. The creaminess of the filling, the sharp flavor of the liqueur-soaked ladyfingers, the bitterness of the espresso and the sweetness of the cocoa powder… my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I have easily fallen in love with some Tiramisus in my time.

This year for my mom’s birthday (Happy Belated Birthday, Mom!!), she asked me to make this Tiramisu bundt cake that she had pulled out of a magazine around a year ago. She has been bugging me to make it for somewhere over 6 months, but I kept finding things that I wanted to try, so I kept putting it off.

That was really, really stupid of me to delay this.

This cake turned out absolutely amazing. The batter itself is incredibly simple, just a nice plain cake base. You pull a little bit out and mix in some Kahlua, pull a bit more out and mix in some coffee, and then throw it all in a bundt pan. When it’s done, you cover it in mascarpone-Kahlua frosting. Heaven.

The hardest part of this cake is getting the batter in the pan correctly – the batter that is mixed with additional liquid is much runnier than the original, so you have to be very careful.

But honestly – this cake is worth every second spent… and I promise, you will be licking the crumbs and frosting smears off the plate. Or maybe that’s just me.

Yum.

Tiramisu Bundt Cake (adapted from a magazine that I’m trying to determine)

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup coffee + 1/2 tsp instant coffee grounds*

1/4 cup Kahlua

* I did not have espresso, and my parents don’t make strong coffee. Adding the instant grounds to the regular coffee worked PERFECTLY.

Preheat oven to 325. Either grease and flour a fluted bundt pan, or spray with Pam for Baking.

In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt). Set aside.

In a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy, around 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping bowl between each addition. Add the vanilla.

Add approximately 1/3 of the flour mixture to the batter and mix; follow with half the milk, mixing until incorporated. Continue alternating until both are gone, making sure to end with the flour mixture. Mix until batter is uniform.

Scoop 1 cup of batter out and put in a small bowl; scoop another 1 cup of batter out and put in another small bowl. Add the coffee mixture to the first small bowl, and mix until you have a uniform batter. Add the Kahlua to the second small bowl, and mix until combined.

Pour half of your regular batter into the bundt pan, spreading so it is an even layer. Pour the Kahlua batter on top of this, and spread lightly. Pour the coffee/espresso batter on top of this and again, spread lightly. Do NOT mix/stir batters when you are pouring them in the pan. Pour remaining regular batter over the top and spread very carefully, as it will want to sink into the other batter.

Bake for approximately 55-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. This cake will appear dark – don’t worry, it’s not burnt!

Cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, then flip out onto a rack and cool completely. Frost only after completely cooled.

Kahlua Mascarpone Frosting*

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature*

1/8 cup heavy whipping cream*

2 Tbsp softened butter*

1/4 cup Kahlua

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

cocoa powder, for dusting

* I did not have mascarpone cheese and didn’t have time to get some, so I found a recipe to make your own. Worked wonderfully 🙂

In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, whipping cream, and 2 Tbsp of butter together with a spatula. Continue mixing until you have a uniform “cheese” mixture. Measure out 4 oz of the mixture; discard the extra.

In a mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the 1/4 cup butter, cheese mixture, and Kahlua until just starts to combine. Add in the confectioner’s sugar and mix on low for around 10 seconds. Turn mixer up to medium-high and mix until you have a light and fluffy frosting.

Frost the cake with a butter knife or spatula, making sure to coat the inside of the middle. Once your cake is done, use a sifter to dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder.